Rainbow Teardrops
by NyxAbsol
Summary: Everyone knows Rainbow Dash. She's one of the most awesome ponies in town, and she was the first pony ever to perform the sonic rainboom. They think they know her...but they don't. There's another side of Rainbow Dash, one that's hidden well. A side that delves deeply in pain and loss. When she slips into a great depression, who's going to be there to cheer her up?


**This is my first My Little Pony fanfiction, so please, no flames!**

**My favourite characters are Rainbow Dash and Princess Luna, and I've always had this idea, _and _I love depressing stories. So one day, I was bored, and thus, this story was born! **

**Apologies if the writing sucks. This is a oneshot. Anyway, please enjoy!**

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><p>"Has anyone seen Rainbow today?" Applejack asked curiously. It was their daily meet-up at Twilight's new palace, and all of them except Rainbow Dash was present. It was strange for the cyan pony to miss a date. Even stranger for her to miss dates <em>four days in a row.<em> Twilight looked up from the book she was reading to answer Applejack's question. "I'm afraid not." Fluttershy looked worried-well, she _was_ always worried about something, but today she seemed especially worried. "I haven't seen her for quite a while, not even on weather patrol." The Pegasus said softly, a little louder than her usual meek whisper.

"Oh, darling, I'm sure she'll come along soon!" Rarity assured her friend before turning back to the dress she was sewing. Pinkie Pie was bouncing a ball on her nose, but seeing her upset friend, she blew a party popper in Fluttershy's ear, making the pony cringe at the sound.

"Don't worry Fluttershy! We can have a PARTY with COOKIES AND NUTS! With my favourite game of all time! Pin the Tail on the pony! After we find Dashie of course!" She cheered loudly in her exuberant manner. Applejack frowned. "Since when did parties, cookies and nuts have to do with finding Rainbow, sugarcube? Ah'm confused."

"It's just Pinkie Pie," Twilight answered, levitating the book in the air. "And Rainbow Dash is going to be fine. We'll ask her why she's been missing dates. I'm sure she has a valid reason," The purple Alicorn reasoned logically. Everyone nodded. Fluttershy was still worried, but she forced a smile. "Yeah, OK."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, a certain rainbow-maned Pegasus was sprawled on a cloud. Not just any cloud. A storm cloud. She appeared to be napping from afar-except that she wasn't. Her eyes were half-closed, her ears drooping downwards. Her rose eyes lacked the daring sparkle they usually contained, instead, they roamed the skies, vacant, filled with melancholy and...wistful longing? Rainbow wasn't paying attention to her surroundings. In fact, she didn't realize that she was making it rain until a unicorn glared and yelled at her to stop. Rainbow sheepishly smiled, apologizing and stomped the trouble-causing cloud before returning to her earlier state.<p>

In her hooves was an old photograph, old but clean. There were four ponies in this picture, and all of them shared the similar colourful mane. On the right was an adult pink Pegasus mare with a shaggy mane and tail streaked with vivid blue, indigo and yellow. The other adult was a blue-gray stallion with a rainbow coloured mane. Standing in the middle were two young fillies. One of them was shorter and younger, with a light cyan coat and beautiful rainbow-coloured messy mane and tail. She was easily recognized as Rainbow Dash. The other one was quite a bit taller, with a coat as white as parchment and a flowing mane and tail.

"Mommy...Daddy...I miss you..." She mumbled, hugging the photograph to her chest, her wings cocooning herself.

"Sis... are you-are you really-" A fresh wave of tears racked her body, and Rainbow sobbed into the clouds, not caring about anything. She didn't even care that ponies would see her, yes, her, the one and only Rainbow Dash, bravest and most awesome pony in all of Cloudsdale, breaking down in tears. Well, at least no one saw her crying. Or so she thought. Rainbow Dash's wings fluttered slightly, as if trying to distract herself. Her eyes wandered to the pair of sleek blue wings that lifted her up into the air.

Unfortunately, she was too grief-stricken to concentrate. She let her body fall back onto the cloud, landing on her back with a soft thump. She stared at the endless blue void ponies called the sky, imagining three familiar faces smiling back at her. Her eyes watered and more tears spilled from her eyes. She should be in her house in Cloudsdale, but she honestly didn't care anymore. A sudden voice interrupted her train of increasingly gloomy thoughts.

"You seem depressed, Rainbow Dash."

The Pegasus jumped at the formal voice, spinning around to see a familiar dark blue Alicorn with a flowing mane with star-like sparkles in her eyes. She immediately bowed, completely freaked out. Okay, so she was fine with ponies seeing her cry, but this was _Princess Luna!_ Princess of the Night, a deity, co-ruler of Equestria! Seeing her _cry!_ Talk about embarrassing!

"G-Good morning, Princess Luna," she stuttered out.

"It's afternoon, but good afternoon to you, anyway," The Princess replied with a hint of amusement in her normally cold and aloof voice. Her eyes sparkled.

"What b-brings you here,P-Princess?" She asked. "I was visiting Ponyville for a short vacation when I saw you," Came the reply. Rainbow Dash nodded, quickly wiping away her tears, blinking rapidly. "Were you crying?" The dark blue pony asked again. _Darn it! She saw!_

"No!" She denied. "I saw you Rainbow, you don't have to hide it. I won't tell anypony else," The Pegasus never knew that the Princess of the Night could be this casual. She sighed. If she was telling her, at least tell her something that wasn't a sob story.

"I-I feel left out." She lied. It was a valid reason, and half-true. She had been feeling a little lonely lately. The palace was great and all, but she didn't really have anything to do indoors. She was born for flying, and flying was meant for the outdoors. And whenever they stopped from their usual activities to talk, no one asked Rainbow's opinion. Like she wouldn't take it seriously. OK, maybe she sometimes didn't, but not _all_ the time. She could be dead serious when she had- or wanted- to.

And how about Pinkie Pie? _Were they counting on her sudden genius at times? Like I'm stupider than her? That's pretty horrible. They think that a random, ADHD party pony would be more useful than a Pegasus that could be a little cocky sometimes but still friendly in contributing ideas?_ Rainbow thought bitterly. She snapped out of it. While that kind of was true, she had absolutely no right to insult any one of her friends, however crazy they might be. The past few days' depression had gotten to her bad.

"Why so?" Rainbow Dash carefully explained the situation to the Princess, who listened attentively. She was sure to try not to paint any of her friends in a bad light, or at least not make them sound like they were being mean, but just her feelings. It wasn't so bad, considering that it wasn't the real cause of her depression.

"I see." Luna merely commented, her voice impassive as usual. Rainbow was unable to discern what she thought. She held her breath, hoping madly that the princess would believe her semi-believable tale. It sure looked like that. Or maybe not.

"Rainbow Dash, you are a terrible liar. _Okay...that didn't go very well?_ "I am here as a friend, Rainbow, and all I would like to do is to give you advice. And right now I can quite clearly see that you need to spill the truth in order to feel better. And maybe I can help you with depression, despite me being overwhelmed by it when I became Nightmare Moon. I am still quite experienced in that field," This earned a small giggle from the cyan Pegasus. "Now tell me, what is the problem?"

Rainbow took a deep breath. "It's my parents...and my sister."

"Hmm?"

She showed the photograph to Luna, who seemed intrigued. "My parents... Rainbowshine and Rainbow Blaze...they were the best parents a Pegasus could ever hope for. They taught me how to fly, paid for my Junior Speedsters Camp, they taught me how to be an independent pony. They were everything a filly could ask for. They... they died when I just returned from flight camp, from a strange illness that plagued the entire Pegasus population. They...were gone so suddenly...the best ponies in the world...TO A STRANGE ILLNESS OF ALL THINGS!" The rainbow maned Pegasus was growing increasingly agitated, not wanting to reveal anything more.

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><p><em>"Mommy? Daddy?" The little Pegasus filly asked softly. She had just returned from flight camp, with a medal pinned to her uniform as proof that she was best flier in camp. Then, she had returned home to find her parents missing. She became panicked, running and flying around Cloudsdale, asking ponies about her parents. Most of them said nothing, not wanting to worry the filly. After all, she was so young. Too young for this to happen.<em>

_Finally, someone took pity on the distressed filly, telling her that her parents had been admitted to the Cloudsdale hospital. Immediately, Rainbow took off as fast as her little legs could carry her..._

_The light pink Pegasus smiled weakly when she saw her daughter. She reached out to touch the medal on Rainbow Dash's chest, a proud look on her face. "There you are, Rainbow... I was waiting for you." Then, her father on the adjacent bed spoke up. "I knew you wouldn't disappoint us."_

_Her mother then saw the marks on Rainbow's flanks. A white cloud with a multicoloured lightning bolt shooting out, symbolizing both her speed and skill at flying and the ability to control weather. "That's a really nice cutie mark, dear...make sure you live up to it..."_

_Rainbow Dash just cried, so upset over her parents' illness, the fact that it was actually life-threatening. Rainbowshine and Rainbow Blaze had a maximum of three months to live, but they could just go at any moment._

_Rainbow Dash's grades slipped as the day went by. She didn't spend any time studying, not that anyone blamed her. Her parent were in the hospital, slowly dying. She looked up remedies, both modern and herbal, she spent every waking hour testing them. But none of them work. Her mother told her not to worry, to concentrate on her studies and her love, flying. But Rainbow refused to give up. Remedy after remedy, but her parents still didn't manage to recover. In fact, their conditions seemed to worsen over time._

_And then one day, the inevitable happened._

_It was just another day at school. As usual, Rainbow Dash wasn't paying attention. Her notebook was full of scribbled notes, but not study notes. They were about various herbal remedies that she had to research, collect ingredients and test out. Then, a light purple Pegasus with a wavy yellow mane stepped in. "Which one of you is Rainbow Dash?"_

_The filly jumped and stood up. "That's me."_

_"The hospital called for you to come, your parents are-" She didn't even get to finish her sentence. Rainbow flew as fast as she could towards the hospital. __**Mommy, Daddy, please don't die! I need you here with me!**_

_-At the hospital-_

_The two Pegasi's eyes were closed, with an oxygen mask placed over their muzzles. They seemed to be unconscious, but they were muttering words. "Dash...Dashie...where are you..." The beeps on the heart monitors came painfully slow. The life support machines didn't do much good as well._

_"MOMMY! DADDY!" Rainbow screeched as she skidded to a halt next to her parents' beds, tears spilling from her cheeks._

_"Dashie...where were you? I was just about to go under..." said Rainbow Blaze, his words muffled through the oxygen mask. Rainbowshine slowly caressed Rainbow. Rainbow didn't know what to do, she just talked. About their lives, the happy memories, the beautiful scenery outside the hospital._

_She wished the family of Pegasi outside were them, happy, healthy, normal. She wished that the hospital was actually their home, where the sunshine spilled through, warming them to the bones and filling them with hope. She talked about the weather factory, about the school trips, about the world below, Ponyville. She just talked, she knew her parents, her loving parents would listen, she talked until she ran out of things to talk about._

_"Dashie...you're a good girl...don't worry...we'll always be with...you...al-" Her mother was cut of as her head went limp and lolled to the side, the heart monitor showing a constant flat line, the continuous beep filling the room. Rainbow's eyes widened as she looked at her mother in horror. "MOM..."_

_"MOMMY! NO! DON'T GO! WAKE UP, MOMMY!"_

_Then, her father spoke up. "Dashie..." That got her attention. "Be the awesome...mare...you are...and always will be...we...love you..." Then, he too fell still, his heart stopping. Dashie screamed some more at the sight. "DADDY! NOT! WHY YOU TOO? STAY HERE WITH ME! DADDY! MOMMY! PLEASE!" She was hysterical, and the nurses had to drag her away to prevent any more mental trauma._

_"MOMMY! DADDY!"_

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><p>Princess Luna said nothing, but just softly smiled and stroked Rainbow's mane. The blue Pegasus didn't know whether she was using a calming spell-her vision was too blurred to see whether her horn was glowing- but she calmed down anyway. Her body gradually stopped shaking and she was well enough to continue.<p>

"And my sister...Spectrum. She was quite the opposite of me, quiet and hardworking and serious. She wasn't a very strong flyer, just an average one. However, she took good care of me. She often took time out of her _very _busy schedule to play with me, ensuring I wasn't bored. She was smart. Really freaking smart." Rainbow paused for breath. "So where is this Spectrum you speak of?" Luna asked.

"She left before I even left for flight camp."

"Why is that so?"

"It was like this..."

* * *

><p><em>"Spectrum! I'm home!" Rainbow Dash shouted as she ran inside the cloud house. Her older sister smiled as she scratched her sister's chin with a hoof. Her spiky rainbow mane was neat, well as neat as her spikes would allow. <em>

_The white Pegasus seemed unusually excited. Her dark topaz eyes sparkled and she held an envelope in her mouth. Noticing this, Rainbow snatched the letter from her sister, scanning it. Her wings fluttered, lifting her into the air, what usually happened when she was happy. "Wow, sis! You got into a university in Canterlot? You're awesome!" Spectrum nuzzled her sister._

_"-and you're a Pegasus! Like, it's really difficult to get into Canterlot universities if you're not a unicorn! So are you going?" The mare nodded. "I'm going to tell Mum and Dad when they get home!"_

_-Dinnertime-_

_"That's great, sweetie! But does that mean you'll be away from Cloudsdale?" Spectrum's shoulders sagged and the spark in her eyes fizzled a little. "I guess so..." Rainbow Dash frowned before tackling her sister with a giant hug. "But I want you to stay!"_

_"Manners, Dashie! Spectrum, you know that we will support you wherever you go." Spectrum smiled, tears forming in her eyes. "Thank you so much! I love you! All of you!" Rainbow smiled at her sister. _

_"Will you forget us?" "Of course not?"_

_"Let's go celebrate at the archery range!" Her mother said, as everyone finished up their dinner. Spectrum's eyes lit up. She adored archery. Of course she did. Archery was her special talent. The bow and arrow on her flank proved it._

_-Edge of Cloudsdale-_

_"So the chariot's arriving soon then?" Rainbow Blaze asked. Spectrum nodded. Rainbow Dash looked a little down. Spectrum nuzzled her little sister. "Don't worry, sis, I'll be back. And here, I want you to have this." She dug into her luggage and took out a beautiful, custom-made bow painted a deep, vivid red. _

_"You're giving me your BOW?"_

_"So that you'll remember me. Besides, I won't really have time to use it in university," Spectrum said, shrugging._

_"You promise that you'll return as soon as you're done?"_

_"I promise." Just then, a golden chariot pulled up. Spectrum hugged each of her family members. "I'll miss all of you!" Then she climbed into the chariot and was pulled away, growing smaller in the distance, until she couldn't be seen any more..._

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><p>"And that's what happened. I've been waiting all these years and she <em>still <em>hasn't returned. Huh." Rainbow Dash felt like a huge weight had been lifted off her chest. "Thanks Princess Luna. For listening."

"You're welcome. But why were you depressed only now?"

Rainbow thought for a while. "Probably because today's my parents' death anniversary. and last week, it was the day my sister left for uni."

Luna gently hugged Rainbow. "Rainbow Dash, I have not seen a pony braver than you. You went through this- _every bit of it- _all by yourself, yet you managed to become the mare you are today. I'm very proud of you."

"Y-you are?"

"I certainly am. You are certainly quite... _awesome_," she said, using Rainbow's favourite word. "Now, I believe you have some explaining to do with a certain group of ponies," The blue Alicorn winked, rising into the sky. However, Rainbow Dash shook her head. She flew into her cloud house and filled a jar with some of the rainbow liquid that decorated her house.

Then, she flew up really high, to the small empty pool outside her house. She had been planning to fill it with water, but now, she had another idea. She slowly tipped the jar, watching as the liquid slowly tipped out.

_Mommy, Daddy, Sis...this is for you._

She had a bittersweet smile on her face as tears flowed from her eyes, mixing with the rainbow liquid, and falling into the pit.

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><p><strong>That was...pretty horrible. I MIGHT do a sequel to this, but I'm not sure. What do you guys think? And sorry if the ending seemed a bit rushed. It was the best I could do.<strong>

**Rainbow Dash was really OOC cause she was depressed. Sorry if any other characters (ESPECIALLY Princess Luna) were OOC as well. Anyway, critiques are VERY welcome and please review! :)**


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